Week 3 Musings

Why does Kansas coach Turner Gill wear a headset?  In their loss to Southern Miss on Friday night, ESPN kept cutting to Gill and lingering on him and not once did I see his lips move.  Is he a ventriloquist?  Or does that headset just pump in phone calls from angry Jayhawks fan?

UCLA...did you watch Nevada destroy your sister school, Cal last night?  That's how you run the Pistol offense.  Having an athletic quarterback, and not Kevin Prince, helps as well.  And once again, a non-BCS conference team beats an automatic qualifier.  "But they're still not as good," Lee Corso continues to say.  And it didn't take him long to become a complete shill for the SEC now that ESPN has the television rights to the SEC.

Just tried Doritos Tailgater BBQ flavored chips.  I think I'm going to need some sulfuric acid to clear that taste from my tongue.  Who approved that flavor?

Happy to see Penn State get the shutout, but the offensive struggles and turnovers against Kent State aren't encouraging going into the Big-11 schedule.  Those will get turned into points in conference play.

Michigan maybe isn't back yet.  Massachusetts brought back too many memories of Appalachian State today.

Karma's a bitch isn't it?  Ole Miss takes on the criminal Jeremiah Masoli and now has home losses to FCS Jacksonville State and a Vanderbilt team that is not supposed to win a game in the SEC.  At least the karma curse didn't hit the Mississippi females...they still are very easy on the eyes.

Florida vs Tennessee used to must see TV.  Now it's not even on the "last channel" button on the remote.

Why doesn't Lane Kiffin want to kick extra points?  Does he think he's playing the Xbox or PS3 and needs to go for 2 every time?

Jake Locker is not the number one overall pick in the 2011 draft.  Completing 4 of 20 passes for 71 yards is horrible.  Way overrated.  Washington cheerleaders on the other hand, way underrated.  Also underrated...rum and root beer.

Clemson and Auburn laying some vicious hits in the ESPN primetime game.  Great game in a great atmosphere in Jordan-Hare Stadium tonight.  Toomer's Corner is going to be covered in Charmin tonight.

Michigan State with solid brass ones in overtime on the fake field goal to get the win over Notre Dame.  I'm loving teams going for the kill in overtime this year and not just the tie to send it to another frame.

Every team doesn't need a black uniform.  Stanford's looks terrible.  Go back to the cardinal and white.

UCLA finally had the Pistol offense work for them tonight...I guess they paid attention to Nevada last night (or maybe it was the return of Rick Neuheisel's sweater vest).  Unfortunately for the Bruins, their performance was against a bad Houston defense, and it will give them the false sense that they've finally figured it out.  Like a house of cards, it's going to all come crashing down next week in Austin, Texas against the Longhorns.  I'm prediciting quarterback Kevin Prince is knocked out of the game by the third quarter.

Sept. 18 Games

Picks for September 18th games and a top 4 list:

Nebraska -3 at Washington - Cornhuskers defense is still good, Bo Pelini is looking to take the team back to their glory days and Washington just seems too trendy just because Jake Locker is back. 

Navy -3 at Louisiana Tech - The Navy offense has been out of sync so far this year.  The Bulldogs defense will help get them back on track and Ricky Dobbs will look like the 2009 version as Navy controls the ball, controls the clock and controls the scoreboard.

USC -11 at Minnesota - The Trojans looked like garbage on defense in their first game against Hawaii.  Looked like a drunken hobo on offense against Virginia in their second game.  They won both.  Minnesota was barely good enough to squeeze by Middle Tennessee State in their first game and then got rolled at home by somebody called South Dakota last week.  USC puts it together against a terrible Golden Gopher team and rolls big.

Top 4 Canadian Beers

4. Molson Canadian - A nice beer that goes great with hamburgers, steak or fried chicken and they score some style points for the simple yet elegant maple leaf on a white field bottlecap.

3. Molson Ice - Some find it a little skunky, but I find it an excellent complement to steak and with a 5.6% alcohol content it delivers.

2. Labatt's Blue - Always refreshing and anytime I'm somewhere that carries it, it always makes me wonder why it isn't more readlily available.  A very satisfying barley pop.

1.  Koakanee - Next to impossible to find in the Southern California area, and maybe it's scarcity makes me desire it more, an ice-cold Koakanee tops the list.  Like Oregon cheerleaders, this beer is pure bliss.  If you know where to find it in the Orange County area, let me know.

Week 2 - Top 10

This top 10 isn't based on your past reputation or how many national championships you've won between 1902 and 1950 or where your recruiting class ranked nationally.  It's based soley on how you're doing on the field.

1. Alabama - Offense is clicking, defense has allowed six points in two games and even with their Heisman winner Mark Ingram out, the Tide is Rolling.
2. Ohio State - Defense is looking tough and if not for the gaffes on kick coverage, they would have beaten Miami by 20+.
3. Oregon - The Ducks point-a-minute offense is downright scary.  Spot an SEC team a 10-point lead in their building and then roll off 45 straight points to send Vols fans to their jugs.
4. TCU - A solid win over Oregon State and a blowout of Tennessee Tech are what you're supposed to do as a top 10 team.
5. Boise State - Virgina Tech did the Broncos no favors by losing to James Madison this weekend, but there's very few teams I'd take to beat these guys on a neutral field.
6. Iowa - Finally allowed a touchdown to Iowa State for the first time in four years.
7. South Carolina - Gamecocks with two solid wins and without the mistakes of past years plaguing the offense.
8. Cal - Two routs and the defense is looking good.  They're here for now...let's see if they pull their normal Jekyll and Hyde routine the rest of the year.
9. Oklahoma - Just squeezing in here with the destruction of Florida State, but the bad taste of that far-too-close win over Utah State still lingers.
10. Nebraska - The defense has been good with 6 picks (2 returned for touchdowns) and they're putting the games away early.

On the outside looking in: 

• Florida, Texas, Wisconsin all for the same reason - you're letting inferior competition hang around too long and in the case of Florida, your offense is disjointed and painful to watch.
• Stanford - Absolute beatdown of the Bruins in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.  Do the same to Wake Forest (the cream of the ACC so far) this weekend and you'll be in the top 10.
• Michigan - The Notre Dame comeback win was big, but this isn't an Irish team from the 60's or 70's.  Your next two games are gimmes, Massachusetts and Bowling Green, but I guess Appalachian State always lingers in your minds now.
• LSU - Yeah, the defense was good against Vanderbilt but the offense let the Commodores stay in the game too long.  The 27-3 final score should have been the halftime score.

The Reason They're Sacred

Big games all over the weekend...Miami vs. Ohio State, Florida State vs Oklahoma, Penn State vs Alabama, Georgia vs South Carolina, Michigan vs Notre Dame.  These are the kind of weekends college football fans live for.

Jenn Brown

The weekend started off slow with Auburn's win over Mississippi State, but it's still the start of another week of college football.  Jen Brown on the sidelines was definitely the highlight. 

Heartbreaker for Marshall on Friday night.  Had West Virginia on the ropes and a chance to knock them out late in the fourth quarter...a fumble, two 90+ yard drives and overtime later, the Mountaineers come out winners.

Florida...if you want to have your offense show up before late in the third quarter, you might make those fans in the Swamp a little less edgy.  If not, Urban Meyer might be retiring again...or seeing if TimTebow can have another year of eligibility.  Gators...at this time, you are not the #8 team in the country.  I'm not even sure you're a top 25 team at this point.  God bless those pre-season polls that are based on past reputation, recruiting classes and whether the team has been heard of before.

When is Spurrier going to unload with the verbal grape shot cannister on Tennessee and the need for their coach Derek Dooley to have to show them how to shower? 

South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore is good. Very, very good.  Great win for the Gamecocks today against Georgia.  Maybe this is the year Spurrier and the Cocks get to the SEC Championship game...but they've teased me before.

James Madison?  Come on, Virginia Tech.  Yeah, you had a short week, yeah, the weather wasn't great, but you are (were) a favorite to win the ACC.  Now you'll run off 10 straight, go to the Orange Bowl and have Hokie fans wondering what could have been.

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is pretty damn exciting.  We'll see how he does once Big-10 (11?) play starts, but so far, so good.  Not only does he run and pass, he drops punts inside the 5-yard line. Fantastic final drive to beat the Irish in South Bend.

Speaking of the Irish...makes me wonder what All-You-Can-Eat buffet Charlie Weis is terrorizing this weekend.

Florida State may not be as good as they appeared last week against Samford.  Oklahoma may not be as bad as they looked against Utah State last week.

Wake Forest and Duke combining for 70 points in the first half and 102 total points in the game?  Did basketball season start early?

LSU head Coach Les Miles has to be one of the worst ever at clock management.  1:04 left in the first half and he gets off 2 plays against Vandy.

Vanderbilt with some low standards on those pom-pom girls in the stands...I wasn't aware that they made sequin outfits in plus sizes.

Oregon cheerleaders in the rain...yes, there is such a thing as heaven on earth.  And yes, their football team is pretty good too.

Would have been nice if Penn State pulled the shocker in Tuscaloosa tonight, but didn't really expect it.  Alabama just way too experienced for the Nittany Lions' freshman quarterback.  A minor moral victory getting into scoring position a number of times against the Crimson Tide but couldn't close the deal and the turnovers killed them.  How would this game have played out last year if played as scheduled...with a senior PSU quarterback?

Football Season Has Begun

Thoughts on the first full Saturday of the 2010 season...

Florida has a total of 13 yards in offense in the first half and 235 yards for the game and 13 first downs in their lackluster win.  You weren't playing Miami you were playing Miami, Ohio, in your own stadium.  Ugly, ugly win for the Gators in their first game without TimTebow.

And, since according to the Big Six BCS conferences and the talking heads on TV (Craig James, in particular), since Boise State and TCU shouldn't get any credit for destroying the competition they play in their conferences, shouldn't #4 Florida take a huge hit in their ranking with how terrible they played against inferior competition.  Oh, you might drop them to #7?  Hypocrites.  Should drop them out of the Top 20, if you truly believe the mid-major conferences are that bad.

Florida State looked impressive in their first game under Jimbo Fisher.  Granted, it was against Samford, but remember, the 'Noles almost lost to Jacksonville State last year, so that's a big improvement.

Penn State's freshman QB Robert Bolden had a nice debut against Youngstown State, but I'm nervous about what's going to happen when Big-10 play starts (yeah, I know they play Alabama next week...I'm blocking that out right now and hoping he survives the game).

Texas and Mack Brown...I don't want to hear you bitching and moaning at the end of the year if you don't go to a BCS game.  You struggled with Rice; see comments about Florida above.  If you get credit for beating them, so does everyone else, and when they beat them in a much more convincing fashion than you did, they also get more credit.

Impressive showing by Oregon today and the football team was very good as well, even if it was against New Mexico.  They did what they were supposed to against do an inferior team.  Credit also to Iowa, Georgia, Air Force and Cal for doing what you're expected to do against lesser competition.

Once again, UCLA settling for field goals instead of touchdowns and costing them a game.

Way to go, Ole Miss.  Blowing a 31-10 first half lead to lose to Jacksonville State in double overtime.  The SEC is really, really good...at the top, they're better than everyone.  The middle and the bottom are just like every other conference.  Ole Miss probably was worried about how tough their SEC schedule is and weren't focused for today's game.

Those tight purple shorts and white boots are a great look for the TCU Showgirls.

Amazing one-handed grab by Alabama's Julio Jones for a touchdown in their rout of San Jose State.

The late afternoon games have had more teams doing what they're supposed to, but Kansas losing to North Dakota State 6-3 (you managed only a field goal?!?!) and Oklahoma struggling to beat Utah State by a touchdown isn't good.  I thought Oklahoma had a chance of being a contender for the national title this year. After this game, I may have to rethink that.

Nice win for TCU, especially considering they played an opponent with a pulse.  And North Carolina's 24-30 victory against LSU has to have Les Miles wondering if his team will underachieve just enough for him to get the Michigan job.  And speaking of the Wolverines, a very complete victory for them over UConn.  Hopefully they can do the same to Notre Dame next week.

The midfield logo for East Carolina is one of the best in the country.  They should get rid of the boring ECU on the their helmets and use that logo instead or even just the skull and crossbones.

Wow, wow, wow!  Unbelievable finish to the Tulsa vs ECU game.  Golden Hurricanes and Pirates trading blows in the second half and ECU wins on a final play jump ball for the touchdown, 51-49.  A combined 47 fourth quarter points.

Great finish to the opening weekend with the Boise State vs. Virginia Tech game.  Broncos came out firing in the first quarter and give credit to the Hokies for fighting back.  Boise is a very good team and they were able to drive down the field at the end to win the game.  Can't wait until next weekend...Miami vs. Ohio State, Notre Dame vs. Michigan, Florida State vs Oklahoma, Penn State vs. Alabama...Love this time of year!

O, Joy!

College football has started and there is joy throughout the land...

Don't know who that Michigan cheerleader was in the ESPN Thursday Night game intro, but, Damn! Nice work, Wolverines! About time you got someone worthy of some television time.

South Carolina's gorgeous female fans in black dresses and heels for the opener...can't go wrong with that.

If Marcus Lattimore can do against the SEC what he's done to Southern Miss, South Carolina may finally make a run for that SEC Championship Game. And Stephen Garcia is making smart decisions, which has to make the Head Ball Coach happy. Granted, it's Southern Miss, but if those two keep it up, the Gamecocks will be dangerous in the SEC this year. And Connor Shaw is a player after my own heart...went to USC because he's a Spurrier fan.

Jenn Brown on the sidelines for ESPN Thursday night games is pretty close to a lateral move in place of Erin Andrews. Looking forward to Ms. Andrews getting a bigger role on the Saturday Gameday show, though getting up at 6am to catch it is going to be tough...but I'm a gamer, and I'll make the sacrifice.

Lindsay Soto

Speaking of sideline reporters, Lindsay Soto on the sidelines for Versus is way, way underrated. She's always smiling and she looks like she would be a ton of fun to have a few drinks with.

Can someone please kill the Dr. Lou spot at halftime? I'd rather watch some gravitationally challenged flag girls twirl their flags to the latest Lady Gaga hit reinterpreted by the home team band than listen to Lou Holtz stumble through another awkwardly forced bit.

Minnesota has issues. Struggling to beat Middle Tennessee State who is without their starting quarterback. And the fact that they traveled to Middle Tennessee State...can the Big 10 (11? New Big 12?) trade them out for someone else? Hard to believe that at one time the Golden Gophers were relevant in college football and won National Championships.

I love the tradition of college football, but I also love these so-called "new" teams getting a chance to show what they can do against the automatic qualifier conferences. Utah is good and has been good for a number of years now (Alabama...remember your beat down?). I'll be rooting for TCU and Boise State this weekend as well. I'm a long-time Penn State fan, but the arrogance of the Big Six conferences in regards to BCS berths really grates on me. These other teams are catching up...show some stones and start playing them if you truly think they aren't that good instead of playing Youngstown State, Charleston Southern, Georgia State, etc.

I know there's not a lot of love for the state of Utah in Southern California, but those female student Ute fans...blonde hair, tight Utah Ute t-shirts and tight jean shorts...that's a winning combination for me.

Really? ESPNU is televising Samford at Florida State on Saturday? I don't know which is more pathetic...the fact they're televising it or that I'll probably flip over to it during the commercial breaks on other games. Yes, I have a problem.

Got to love Spurrier throwing on 1st and 10 with just over 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter and leading 41-6. There's a reason he's an assassin. Too bad it was an interception. Nice opening victory for South Carolina.  Now don't implode the last 5 weeks of the season.

USC vs Hawaii...and my first thoughts are of the Song Girls in bikinis on the sands of Waikiki.

Trojans look very sloppy on defense. Where's the hitting that used to be their signature? And did Hawaii ever give a reason for changing their name from the Rainbow Warriors to the Warriors?

Did the Song Girls not travel to Hawaii or did ESPN only have female camerapersons? I only saw one shot of an SC cheerleader...there's a producer who might need to be touching up their resume come Monday.

Mmmmm, pigskin...

With only 3 days remaining until kickoff, 10 predictions for the coming season:

1. Alabama will lose a game. The Tide is good...really, really good. But it's just too hard to repeat as National Champions these days and everyone is gunning for them. One of those six teams that has a bye week before facing 'Bama is going to get them and maybe two of them. And even with two losses, they still might end up in the BCS Championship Game. Oh, we can only hope for a season as crazy and wonderful as 2007.
2. The South Carolina Gamecocks under Steve Spurrier will appear to underachieve again, not winning the SEC and not getting to 9 or 10 wins. The problem with these expectations is they are completely unrealistic. The Gamecocks have only won 10 games once in their existence and only got to 9 once. Cock fans...be happy with 7 or 8 wins; enjoy your mid-level bowl game; admire one of the cutest looking cheer squads in the country; and take pride in your unique tailgating experience with the Cockaboose Railroad.
3. If Notre Dame beats Purdue in Week 1 and Michigan in Week 2, ESPN will immediately begin hyping that Notre Dame is back under new coach Brian Kelley and we will watch Lou Holtz predict that the Irish will go unbeaten this year. How'd that prediction work out last year, Lou? Thankfully, Mark May is there to keep Holtz in check. And beating the Boilermakers and the Wolverines isn't that big of a deal anymore...quit living in the 60's Irish fans. As my friend's mom famously asked upon seeing Lou on TV, "Is he retarded?"
4. Oregon will continue to quietly display one of the Top 5 cheerleading squads in the country. Fortunately, living on the west coast, I'll get to see them 6-8 times depending on how well the Ducks are doing and with the Fox Sports West camera crews, who have never seen a cheerleader that doesn't need more camera time, I'll see a lot of them. Those of you on the east coast might want to stay up until 2am and watch a late night Oregon game and the glory that is the Duck cheer squad. Oh, and the Ducks play some pretty entertaining games as well.
5. Duke won't make it to a bowl game...again. Last year, they were so close, needing only one win in their last four games to be bowl eligible. Hell, they were even favored in a game for only the 9th time in 16 years last year. But exchanging North Carolina Central for Alabama and getting Boston College instead of North Carolina State just made it that much tougher to get to six wins. I'm pulling for you, Blue Devils, but think you're going to come up short again.
6. Rich Rodriguez will be fired at the end of the year and the Wolverines will get their Michigan Man, Les Miles. Scheduling Massachusetts and Bowling Green certainly helps RichRod's chances of keeping his job...too bad for him he also has Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan State, Connecticut and Penn State on the schedule. Miles will pull just enough head-scratchers to keep LSU from contending for an SEC title and set him up for the exit he hoped to have in 2007 before the BCS Game fell into his lap.
7. Texas Tech will be uninteresting. Under head coach Mike Leach, the Red Raiders were dynamic on offense, questionable on defense and played exciting games; and he was always good for a quote. Under new coach Tommy Tuberville, Tech will try to play more defense and a more boring brand of football. That will lead to less wins and less interest nationally. Thankfully, Leach has found a job with CBS College Sports Network and I'm looking forward to some off the wall commentary before someone gives him another head coaching job.
8. Oklahoma will make a title run. Ohio State will make a title run. If they both make it to the BCS Championship, the world just might end, since neither one would be expected to win after their past BCS debacles, or the country may decide we're not interested in seeing either team and give us a repeat of the World Series of Poker instead.
9. Boise State won't get their title shot. The Broncos are poised to make a run at it and they start the season ranked high enough, but unless they're the only unbeaten team at the end of the year, they won't get it. The polls will probably take an undefeated BCS conference team and a one-loss SEC team over an undefeated Boise State. And, NCAA, how is a playoff not a better way to determine a National Champion? Oh, you use one in all of your other sports and even your lower levels of football, but not your premier sport? And you're all pretty sure the fans don't want a playoff? Well, what do we know?
10. Thursday, September 2nd, I'll be home early to enjoy some tasty pizza, a couple of ice cold beers and a warm TV with all the hopes and promises of another great college football season. And even if the opening games aren't the best, at least they've started, and as a college football fan, can you ask for more than that?

Baby Back Ribs from the grill at home